Item No.: 1062
Name: A blue-and-white and underglaze-red garlic-head vase with the Eight Horses
Period: Qing dynasty, Kangxi reign
Height: 30.0 cm
The vase has a thick white glaze over a dense, fine body. A small, slightly flared mouth rises above a long, slender neck with a raised band. Full shoulders and a rounded body taper before flaring outward toward a two-tiered foot. The glazed base is marked with a double circle.
The painter uses varied shades of underglaze blue to animate the traditional Eight Horses motif. A dark ruyi border surrounds the mouth, and pale water patterns appear below the raised neck band. Reserved scenes on the body show horses lying down, rolling, butting heads, playing, or feeding. Small touches of underglaze red enliven the restrained palette. The balance of movement and repose gives the horses a playful, spontaneous character.
For a related subject and painting style, see Chen Runmin, ed., Qing Shunzhi Kangxi Chao Qinghua Ci, catalogue no. 110, a blue-and-white bowl with the Eight Horses, p. 188.